Daily Times

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday stayed appointment of Principal Khyber Medical College and issued notices to Secretary Health Department, Pakistan Medical and Dental Council and Secretary Board of Governors Khyber Medical Teaching Hospital.

The stay order was issued by a division bench comprising of Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth and Justice Musarrat Hilali while hearing a writ petition filed by Professor Dr Jamshid Ali through his counsel Mian Mohibullah Kakakhel. Kakakhel argued that the petitioner has a Ph.D degree in Pharmacology who also served as head of Pharmacology Department and Vice Chancellor of the college. He stated that the petitioner applied for the post of principal/dean of the college when it was advertised by the provincial government and a selection committee was formed to make appointment on the post.

He said that KP Government expressed reservations over the appointment criterion and written a letter to the PMDC for guidance.

The PMDC, in response, said that under Medical and Teaching Institution Reforms Act any candidate applying for the post would have to resign from his government employment. He argued that the petitioner has retired from government employment on April 11 and was the suitable candidate for the post. He stated the KP Government has made MTI Rules for Khyber Teaching Hospital on June 2015 which were yet to approved. He said that Chairman Selection Committee Dr Hashimuddin Azam Khan resigned from chairmanship due to equivocal rules. Petitioner’s counsel argued that another reason for Khan’s resignation was that BoG has appointed Professor Dr Noorul Iman who was, at the same time, a government employee, a brazen violation of rules and regulations. The post of Chairman was still lying vacant, he stated. He also argued that the petitioner raised this issue and written a letter to the selection committee but he hasn’t received any reply. Besides, those who have been made members of the selection committee have minimum qualification than the candidates who have applied for the post. Members of the selection committee are Dr Attaur Rahman, Professor Satya Arif of Bio Chemistry Department KMC, Professor Dr Muhammad Tahir Pathology Department KMC, Hifsa Sohail who is final year student and Bushra Begum who is head of Nursing Department of KTH. The petition said they are BoG’s blue eyed people.

Kakakhel said that the petitioner was not short-listed and excluded from the appointment process without hearing him.

He argued that there were clear Terms of References for appointment of candidates by selection committee as the committee will prepare a list of eligible candidates and shortlist only three of the total candidates.

“If the committee fails to find a suitable person out of the shortlisted candidate then it has to interview all those who applied for the post,” the petition said.

The petition prayed the bench to order the authorities to call him for interview and declare the appointment process that was done in absence of chairman of the committee null and void.